years (age)

In Aekyom, years are counted as “turtles” (ambum).

Norm Mundhenk tells this story:

“Recently I was checking some New Testament material in the Aekyom language of western Papua New Guinea. It seemed relatively clear until suddenly we came to a passage that started, ‘When Jesus had 12 turtles, …’ Surely I had misunderstood what they said.
“‘Did you say that Jesus had 12 turtles?’
“‘Let us explain! Around here there is a certain time every year when river turtles come up on the banks and lay their eggs. Because this is so regular, it can be used as a way of counting years. Someone’s age is said to be how many turtles that person has. So when we say that Jesus had 12 turtles, we mean that Jesus was 12 years old.’
“It was of course the familiar story of Jesus’ trip with his parents to Jerusalem. And certainly, as we all know, Jesus did indeed have 12 turtles at that time!”

In Tok Pisin, krismas (derived from “christmas”) is taken as the fixed annual marker, so Jesus had 12 “christmases” (Jisas i gat 12-pela krismas pinis) or Abram (in Gen. 12:4) had 75 (Abram i gat 75 krismas) (source: Norm Mundhenk). In Noongar it is biroka kadak or “summers had” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

See also advanced in years.

complete verse (Leviticus 27:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Leviticus 27:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “If a person has five years continuing up to twenty, (someone) redeems (him/her) with twenty pieces of silver if it is a boy, and if a girl, (someone) pays ten pieces.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “– The value of a boy between 5 years and 20 years of age would be 20 shekels of silver
    — and as for the value of a girl, [it] would be 10 shekels of silver.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “if his value is-paid with silver which is according to its weight on the scale of the priests:
    those-who-are- 1 month to 4 years -of-age
    a male: 5 pieces of silver
    a female: 3 pieces of silver
    those-who-are- 5 years until 19 -of-age
    a male: 20 pieces of silver
    a female: 10 pieces of silver
    those-who-are- 20 years until 59 -of-age
    a male: 50 pieces of silver
    a female: 30 pieces of silver
    those-who-are- 60 years -of-age (and)-above
    a male: 15 pieces of silver
    a female: 10 pieces of silver” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “20 pieces of silver for young men who are between five and 20 years old,
    ten pieces of silver for young women who are between five and 20 years old,” (Source: Translation for Translators)